Parents around the world are concerned about their children’s use of social media. But is there any way to control it?
Alongside the looming TikTok ban in the U.S., Australia passed legislation in November that bans children under 16 from using social media or creating new accounts.
Recent polls have shed light on just how much social media is intertwined with our lives, specifically for those ages 13-19. A Gallup poll showed that 51% of U.S. teenagers spend at least four hours on social media platforms each day.
On top of that, a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center indicated that 32% of teenage social media users reported that these social media platforms have a negative effect on their age demographic.
Social media usage among children and teens has sparked immense backlash. Per WebMD, teens’ reports of persistent sadness and hopelessness increased 49% over the ten years from 2011 to 2021. Many argue that social media is to blame.
Now, some social media networks are shifting their platforms—and altering algorithms—to promote healthy use of the platforms among kids and teens.
Teen accounts are coming
Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg-steered social media company responsible for Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Snapchat, is one company taking steps to combat the harms social media may have on children.
In September 2024, the company announced teen accounts, secured accounts are described by the brand as an easier way for users under the age of 18 to get accustomed to social media without the negative effects of being online.
Dr. Joanne Orlando, an expert in online wellness who holds a PhD in Digital Behavior, said the all-out social media ban for youngsters in Australia is extreme—and less likely to be effective.
“It’s too many ways to get around it. It’s too many complications,” Dr. Orlando told the Daily Dot in an interview. “I think that it is not the solution. It might be part of the solution, but it’s pretty easy for kids to get around it, and that makes it not a very viable legislation.”
@drdigijo TikTok is banned but I’ve found a big loophole in the proposed social media ban! #digital #fyp #algorithm #australia #esafety #ai #teens #mentalhealth #parents #parenting #socialmedia ♬ original sound – Dr Jo Orlando
One loophole, for example, is VPNs, a legal and simple way for prohibited social media users to be able to reach the prohibited platforms by simply changing their IP address to an allowed location.
While Meta’s teen accounts will have their own issues, including age verification, Dr. Orlando supports the effort.
“I actually like that approach by Meta. I think if other platforms had that, I think that would be a better solution,” Dr. Orlando said.
“It just shows that there’s that phased-in approach of using social media, and I think that’s a good idea because right now a 13-year-old can sign up. They may have never used social media before and then bang, they’re right in the heat of social media and everything that it offers. So I think that phased in account, it’s almost an apprenticeship model.”
The controversial IG algorithm
Much of Meta’s controversy in the past stems from its social media platforms’ algorithms. Instagram notes on its site that users’ algorithms rank content in both the feed and explore page by the users’ activity, history of interactions, and a poster’s activity. This can lead users down a rabbit hole of content, as the platform suggests more and more similar things.
Its algorithm is not without backlash—especially when it comes to its effect on young users.
In 2021, Instagram was flagged for pushing dangerous content through its algorithms after an exposing experiment performed by Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal’s staff, per CNN.
The platform suggested material that promoted eating disorders to an account that was registered as being operated by a 13-year-old.
And in November, when self-harm images were posted on Instagram, despite Meta’s claim to remove 99% of all harmful content on the platform, all harrowing images were still visible after 30 days.
Ultimately, Meta deleted the triggering content from its server and addressed the error. However, this instance alone is enough for parents to lose their trust in the company.
In the aftermath of these controversies, Meta plans to increase the algorithm restrictions for registered teen accounts.
The company noted in a blog post that Instagram teen accounts will automatically be placed on the most restrictive setting of its sensitive content control. This would hide videos of people fighting or posts about cosmetic procedures, for example.
Parents aren’t buying it
Film buff and proud parent Antonio Escobar (@tony_scribe on X) is ready to shield his child from the entire platform as a whole, despite Instagram’s attempts to make it a safer place.
“The solution is no IG. I keep my pre-teen far, far away from it,” he told the Daily Dot.
Similarly, Adobe engineer and father Paul J Dayton (@pdayton on X) thinks as though the new accounts only mask the real problem. No matter how much restriction is placed against its own algorithm, Dayton argued, the addiction minors develop while using social media remains intact.
“It is like a tobacco company telling you they’ve restricted the amount of times your teen can smoke a cigarette,” he quipped.
Even professional therapist Maddie Spear noted that social media usage among teens is a difficult beast to tame. Spear is the owner of Flourish Wellness PLLC and a popular social media content creator with over 325,000 followers on TikTok. Her age range of specialty is 5-25, those who would be most impacted by social media restrictions.
“I immediately thought of the times when Facebook was really big, and we would all pretend to be 13 just so we could have a Facebook account,” she told The Daily Dot. “And so part of me is concerned over the regulations side of it. People are probably just going to claim that they are an adult anyways and make a real account.”
@therapy_thoughts tell that to my multiple degrees + trainings 🙃 (ps. Your kid is the expert on themselves, I just may be more experted on how to help with their mh) #therapistsontiktok #mentalhealthmatters #childtherapist ♬ original sound – 🩷
Meta plans to launch teen accounts on Instagram in January, before expanding the program to its other platforms. The company has yet to respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment.
And while these regulations may be difficult to enforce, Spear said the movement offers a bit of hope in the darkness that can fester online.
“Nonetheless, in a world where social media has quickly become integrated in the livelihood for anyone it might feel dark and dim, and it might even be that way for a little bit, but there is going to be hope on the other side,” she said.
“This is an app, it is not our life, even if it impacts a lot of it. We will figure this out together,” Spear concluded. “As cheesy as it sounds, we’re going to get through this.”
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
